7 Minutes in Heaven
by 03hermione1992
Summary: Minerva gets dragged to a party that she doesn't want to attend, and spends the evening wishing she was anywhere else. But Minerva's evening may turn out to be better than she thought when Albus asks for a dance. ADMM.


Author's note: Well, hello my fellow ADMM shippers. It's been a really long time hasn't it? I am so sorry about that! I had some inspiration for another fandom that I couldn't ignore, and I started grad school a few months ago, so I've been super busy. Please forgive me! Anyway, I hope this makes up for my long absence. I originally meant this for Snapshots, but there was too much to write and it grew way beyond 500 words. It was inspired by the song 7 Minutes in Heaven by Fall Out Boy. So, I hope you enjoy this!

Minerva McGonagall was not in a good mood. She would have been perfectly happy lying on her bed, reading a book. But Poppy Pomfrey had dragged her down to a party that she didn't want to go to.

"Come on, Min, it'll be fun," Poppy had said.

Minerva had glared at her. "No it won't. You know I hate parties. And don't call me Min."

"But it's our last night at Hogwarts. We'll never be back."

"Speak for yourself. I plan on being back sometime in the near future. You know I want to teach," Minerva said. Poppy had hit a nerve though. Minerva was trying not to think about the fact that this was her last night as a Hogwarts student. She had cried about it for the past few nights, and she didn't want to cry about it again. But there was another reason why she didn't want to leave, and nobody else knew.

Minerva had been keeping a secret for the past couple of years. She was in love with her Transfiguration professor, Albus Dumbledore. She had tried to ignore her feelings and pretend they didn't exist, but one day in sixth year, she realized that she couldn't ignore her feelings anymore. The past year or so had been simultaneously the happiest and most tortured time of her life.

"We won't be back as students though," Poppy persisted. "Come on, have fun. Let your hair down!"

That had earned another glare from Minerva. In the past few years, Minerva had been known for wearing her hair in a bun all the time. She knew that people talked about her behind her back, but she didn't really care.

Poppy would not leave Minerva alone, so after ten minutes Minerva finally relented, if only to get Poppy off her back. That was how she ended up in a bad mood, sitting by herself on a bench against the wall in the Great Hall. She was as far away from everyone as she could be without leaving the Great Hall, but Poppy still managed to find her.

"Aren't you going to dance?" Poppy asked her.

"No."

"Won't you at least talk to anyone?"

"No."

Poppy took the hint that Minerva didn't want to talk to her, and left feeling a bit put out. Minerva felt bad for about half a second, then remembered that Poppy was the one that dragged her here in the first place.

Minerva looked around the Great Hall and spotted Albus immediately. He was standing near the refreshment table, talking to Helena Smith, the herbology professor. Minerva had heard some of her classmates saying that they heard Helena loved Albus, and was always hinting that he should ask her out. Seeing them together gave Minerva a pang of jealousy, which made her feel a bit guilty. She didn't have any right to be jealous; Minerva was Albus' student, nothing more. He could Helena if he wanted.

Minerva looked away from them and tried to think about something else, but she couldn't stop thinking about Albus. She thought of the way his eyes twinkled when he found something amusing, how he had an addiction to lemon drops, how he was always interested in what she had to say, how he was the kindest, sweetest man she had ever met…

Minerva watched everyone dance while she sat out against the wall, feeling more melancholy than she ever felt in her life. She sat there for what seemed like an eternity before she decided that she couldn't take it anymore. It was seven minutes until midnight anyway, so she decided to go back to her room when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I hope you weren't leaving, Minerva," Albus said. "I was hoping to get a dance from my favorite student."

There was that reminder again that she was just his student, nothing more. But Minerva couldn't resist the opportunity to dance with Albus, so she smiled and let him lead her to the dance floor.

The song seemed to end too soon, and Minerva began to pull away, expecting him to thank her for the dance and go find Helena. But Albus smiled and said, "I was hoping for the next dance as well."

To Minerva's delight and embarrassment, the next song was a slow song. Albus pulled her closer, so that there was almost no space between them. Minerva's heart was pounding, and she wondered if Albus could hear it.

"Forgive me for not saying it earlier, but you look stunning tonight," Albus said softly.

Minerva felt her cheeks heat up, and she knew she must be red. She mumbled a shy 'thank you' and looked down at the floor.

"Minerva, look at me."

Albus said it so quietly, and so intimately, that it made Minerva's head snap up. He was looking at her like she was the only person in the room, like he couldn't get enough of her. Minerva was confused; why should he look at her that way?

Albus sighed. "The only thing worse than not knowing how you feel about me, is you thinking that I don't know how you feel about me."

Minerva blushed again, and was about to make something up to cover her feelings, when Albus interrupted her.

"Minerva, you tried so hard to hide it from me, and yourself, but I know. I've known since your sixth year."

"It was that day in January when I came back from Hogsmeade later than everyone else, wasn't it?" she asked softly. Albus nodded. "I had slipped on some ice coming up the path, and I fell and broke my leg. I was in such pain, and I was alone and crying, but you found me. You must have seen me fall. I was so happy to see you, and I felt so safe when you carried me into the castle…"

"That day, you completely let down your guard around me. You tried putting it back up, but it was never up completely. Once you admitted it to yourself, there was no going back."

The song ended when the clock struck midnight. Minerva and Albus reluctantly pulled away from each other.

"Shall I walk you back to Gryffindor Tower, my dear?" Albus asked her as he offered her his arm.

"I would love that," she replied.

They were both very quiet on the walk back; they both had a million thoughts running through their minds. When they were nearing the portrait of the Fat Lady, Albus stopped and looked at Minerva.

"In a few years, when you're ready, I would love for you to teach here. I can't think of anyone who is better qualified." Albus took a deep breath. "Just, please don't feel like you have to wait for me. You should date men your own age, so if you meet somebody…"

"Stop," Minerva said. She could feel tears threatening to fall. Did he really think she could just forget about him? She stood on her toes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She wished she could kiss him more passionately, but it felt wrong, at least for the moment. She was still a student, and he was her professor, even if it was just for one more day.

"Keep in touch, let me know how your studies are going, okay?" he asked her.

"I will. Maybe we can see each other over the summer."

"I would love that," Albus replied. He kissed her on the cheek and then turned to walk back to his room. Minerva watched him until he disappeared, then went up to her dormitory, where Poppy was already asleep. Minerva was grateful that Poppy dragged her to the party, though she would never admit that to Poppy. All she could think about was being in Albus' arms; that had been the best moment of her life. Dancing with Albus had been seven minutes in heaven.


End file.
